No Need for the Undead
by Set1982
Summary: Tenchi and his pals stumble headlong into a waking nightmare in small town USA.


Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and Resident Evil are properties of their respective creators and companies. I don't own 'em and probably never will. Of course I took creative license and omitted certain details from both RE and Tenchi Muyo. In order to make it a more feasible story (zombies not withstanding), I went easy on several of the characters special abilities.  
  
  
  
NO NEED FOR THE UNDEAD (A Tenchi/Resident Evil crossover) (Kind of)  
  
ARKLEY MOUNTAINS, OCTOBER 19  
  
It was approaching twilight as the caravan wound its way through the forest prime-evil. A thick bank of green-gray storm clouds hung before them, over the hills along the route. Although it was still fairly bright out, beneath the canopy it was nearly pitch black. The two vehicles, rented mini-vans, slowed to a crawl as the visibility rapidly declined. As a precaution, the drivers kept within sight of one another. Things had been going well for most of the trip, and, aside from the soon to be inclement weather, promised to remain that way. The party was two hours into the trip and almost halfway to their destination. One they would never reach. It seemed they've been driving through the forest forever when the first van lost sight of the one trailing behind. It may have been because of the stress of driving on an unfamiliar road under unpleasant conditions, or simply fatigue, but the driver of the first van suddenly found himself very alone. Tenchi Masaki thought it was time to have a vacation. Things have settled into a neat routine, well thought out and almost without deviation. It was a recipe for disaster. Soon the relaxed peace gave way to a strained tolerance of one another, and that too was on the verge of collapse. A change of scene was a sure-fire fix for what would soon make the Kobe quake seem tame. It seemed only natural to select a place like Raccoon City known for its beautiful scenery and out doors recreational possibilities. As expected his "family" where more than game. The Jurian princesses and their guardians, along with Ryoko, Washu and the Galaxy Police contingent had soon gotten wind of the upcoming outing. Their combined efforts to convince the Masaki family to include them were overwhelming. Tenchi's schoolmate, and avid motorist, Kazuko Amagasaki swung the Toyota into a three-point turn. All of the passengers stared out the windows in apprehension. It wasn't like the driver of the second mini-van, Tenchi's father, to get lost. Ayeka sat beside Kazuko, as a preemptive move to prevent possible strife with the space pirate, Ryoko. Mihoshi sat beside Tenchi with Ryoko and Sasami in the back. They silently strained their eyes to see past the rapidly thickening fog as they doubled back. Ryoko was the first to notice it. The second vans high beams sliced through the gloom. "Look, Tenchi!" She said gripping his arm. The faint outline was becoming visible as they approached. Its engine was still running as it sat in a thicket, steam rising from its radiator. Nothing short of a tow truck was going to move it. There was no one was to be seen. The group left the relative comfort of the van and approached, Ryo Ohki mewing her discontent to the younger Jurian Princess. "I'm scared too, Ryo Ohki." The blue haired girl whispered to her Cabbit companion. Both Ayeka and Ryoko bunched tightly around Tenchi, shooting each other venomous looks. True to form the truce Tenchi and Sasami had tried to hammer out between his two suitors would not hold up. "Hello! Hello! Hey, where'd every one go?" Mihoshi asked to no one inperticular. "They must be lost! Poor Kiyone!" It was true; Kiyone, Washu and the other members of the second party were nowhere to be seen. The van had been abandoned. The buoyant blond came closer when she tripped over something obscured by the shadows. She paused for a moment before moving. It was hardly a new experience for her to take a tumble, yet for some reason the others became concerned. "Hey, Mihoshi, you alright?" Shouted Sasami as she neared the stricken GP officer. "What's wrong?" Her only answer was a scream. She slowly got to her feet, something vaguely shaped like a shoe in her hand. Her eyes were wide and her lower-lip quivered as she turned to face her companions. Tears welled up as she began to stutter incoherently. "It appears to be a shoe. A high top if I'm not mistaken" Ayeka stated matter of factly. "Yeah, but whoever took it off did it the hard way." Quipped Ryoko, pointing at a nub that protruded from the mouth of the sneaker. "That's looks like bone." Mihoshi lost it again, dropping the unclaimed foot and latching onto Ayeka. "Poor Mihoshi!" She sobbed over and over again into the Princess's Kimono. Ayeka rolled her eyes and patted her on her head. "Poor Mihoshi? You can't complain! You still have both of yours!" The space pirate shouted, gesturing at the Nike clad severed foot. "Relax Ryoko, she's upset." Tenchi said, trying to help Mihoshi get a grip. Ryoko simply shrugged. "Who's was it?" Sasami asked, not entirely wanting to find out. Tenchi took a closer look at the severed foot. As he picked up by its tongue a trickle of blood spilled out onto the grass. Now it was Ryoko and Ayeka's turn to scream. "Oh, gross! I'm outta here!" Kazuko said backing away. "If you people want to join the peg-leg club, fine by me, I'm not gonna stick around and see what its like to be a gimp!" He took off in as close of a run as he could manage, slamming the driver's side door shut. Gunning the engine, he sped off into the night. "Come back, you pox marked, bulbous brat!" Screamed Ayeka. "Hey, Kazuko come back! Wait!" Tenchi shouted as he charged the van. It was hopeless. Kazuko was already fading away into the mist. His shoulders slumped as he returned to the group. He glanced at his fellow travelers, all of which looked as worried as he did. "Well, we can't just stand here until dawn." Ayeka said, her words punctuated by the crash of distant thunder. "And I'm not about to bed down with Ryoko in the close confines of a van all night! We should search the rental to see if they left a note. They must have taken shelter somewhere." "Who ever was left." Mihoshi said, barely a whisper. "We still don't know what did that!" A quick check of the van provided no information as to where the others fled to, or why. The only thing they were able to discern was that they had left in a hurry. All of the other travelers had abandoned their overnight bags, and, save for a single flashlight along with some electronic components Washu was tinkering with, everything of use had been taken. The haphazard way the personal effects had been strewn around the van had been disconcerting for Tenchi, even more so since neither his father, grandfather or the others were known to panic easily. Something must have scared the living daylights out of them. "Hey Tench! There's a path over here!" Ryoko signaled. Without hesitation, the five stranded travelers took off down it.  
  
The path snaked its way deeper into the woods. Passing over a small ridge, it seemingly ended where the grove opened up into a field of tall grass. In the distance there was a huge, albeit dilapidated mansion. The five plus Ryo Ohki quickly came to the conclusion that the missing vacationers must have taken refuge within. The mansion looked as though it would have cost millions of yen, yet no one appeared to be taking care of it. There were no lights visible from the glen. The group was almost elated to be out of the woods, the openness of the field seemed comforting. Comforting to all but one of the hikers. Ryo Ohki mewed her concern softly, the fur on her back bristling. Something was out there, something that smelled threatening. Most sentient creatures, including humans, have the ability to sense when they're being followed. In nature this usually sparks the fight or flight response. However it was now ignored, Tenchi and his friends chalking the crawling of their skin up to the dismembered foot and creepy atmosphere. They were almost to the mansion. Sasami was the first to notice something was a miss when, with a fearful shriek, Ryo Ohki leapt from her arms and fled into the undergrowth. "Ryo Ohki, don't!" The young girl screamed. That's when she heard it. It was a deep guttural growl, like a dog, a very big and certainly rabid dog. Others soon joined in the chorus, seemingly surrounding the group. Mihoshi fished the two Galaxy Police service pistols out of her backpack, handing one to Tenchi when the unseen hounds pounced. One landed right in front of the blond cop, who promptly lost control of her of her bladder. It was a dog, or had been at one point; its skin was now rotting. In several places, dark red muscles shown where its hide had worn through. Its skull was visible were its should have been and its eyes were glazed other. It looked as though it was good and dead. Mihoshi backed away as the snarling hellhound bunched up on its haunches, preparing to strike. "N- nice doggy. Sit!" She said, trying to force the fright out of her voice, unsuccessfully. She slowly raised her gun as she continued her backward retreat. She didn't see the one flanking her on the right until it was too late. The zombie dog leapt from the bush and sank its fetid fangs into Mihoshi's upper arm, its momentum carrying the two of them to the ground. She screamed as its teeth effortlessly reached bone, tearing a great chunk of flesh from her. Ayeka instinctively stepped in front Sasami, shielding her from the horrendous scene. Tenchi fired his weapon at the first dog mauling his friend. The blast tore through the canine's decomposing chest, throwing it off of its victim. Ryoko shot a bolt of energy from her palm, cleaving the head of the second dog off of its body. Mihoshi turned on to her other side struggling to get up. "H Help me! Please help!" She pulled herself towards Tenchi. He ran towards her grabbing her outstretched hand when the rest of the pack fell upon them. The forerunner slammed headlong into Tenchi's midsection, and was about to close its jaws around his neck when another energy bolt sent it tumbling backwards, yelping. Mihoshi wasn't faring so well, the first dog, which had recovered from the wound to its chest, had its mouth on Mihoshi's lower abdomen. The blond struggled to hold its muzzle away from the tender flesh of her midsection, but her strength was waning. The former Doberman found its target and snapped its maw shut, shaking his putrid head. It yanked a section of the police officers exposed intestine from the gaping wound as her screams ceased. Ayeka had since picked up the fallen Mihoshi's gun and was firing blindly as panic gripped her. Tenchi and Ryoko were also fairing poorly against the mutant mutts, who seemed almost unstoppable. Ayeka threw an arm around her little sister and grabbed at the closest part of Ryoko she could get a hold of, her hair. "Come on Tenchi!" she screamed, dragging the other girls with her as she dashed for the mansion porch. "There's nothing more you can do!" Tenchi took her sage advice and sprinted towards the front door. Turning every so often to fire in the general direction of his canine pursuers. He reached the entrance of the mansion throwing all his weight into the double doors. Please, please don't be locked! He wished as they gave way, spilling him and his remaining friends onto the marble floor. He and Ryoko sprang to their feet as slammed against the doors just as the dogs were about to gain entrance. Ayeka led her little sister to the massive staircase in the center of the room, whispering comforting words in her ear. Tenchi looked ill. "Poor us." Ryoko panted.  
  
End of Part 1 


End file.
